Truth was, I needed more information. At the moment I only had half the story, and it wasn’t adding up. Maybe it was worth sticking around a little longer, finding out exactly what they had to say. Besides, I couldn’t exactly escape out this window with that guy below anyway.
I was just about to slide myself back inside when he said: “I don’t know anything about her…” Pause. “No way. Fuck. She punched me in the dick. There’s no way I’m hanging around any longer than I have to.”
I grinned at that. He shouldn’t have entered my place acting like a creepy shit. Creeps get punched in the dick.
“I’ll tell her the deal, convince her to get her ass back to Astoria, and then we can go from there.”
It sounded like he was about to hang up, but the person on the other end of the phone must have said something more, because the Daelighter was all of a sudden very serious.
“The council cannot expect me to hang around here waiting for Laous to reappear,” he bit out the words. “I might not be ready to be overlo … completely in charge right now, but I have to at least check in. I mean, how long do they think I can be away?” More pauses. “I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
I’d heard enough, so I eased myself back through the window into the bedroom. When I stood and turned, I sucked back a scream at the sight of cinnamon eyes ringed with golden circles staring down at me. Breathing rapidly, my eyes darted between the outside garden he’d just been standing in and the spot he now occupied. In the bedroom. Right by the window.
“You better get your skinny ass back in this room,” he growled, clearly not a happy alien.
From this angle, I had a really good view of the dark maroon tattoos on the side of his head. They were symbols, swirling and arching in thick lines, slightly tribal in design, and I’d bet all the money I did not have right now that they were words.
He cleared his throat and my gaze returned to his eyes. Eyes which were so at odds with the rest of his bad boy look. I tried to ignore the sparks of intrigue that shot through me. I didn’t care that those cinnamon irises were depthless, seeming to hold the weight of the world within them. And I definitely didn’t care that he could actually be the most beautiful male that had ever walked this world.
Falling back on my false bravado, I drawled, “Clearly I was coming back inside, so let’s save the macho display for another time. Okay? Okay…”
I crossed my arms, letting my attitude shine brightly from me. For most of my life I’d been referred to as “difficult” by my mom. She’d even tried to beat it out of me. But I’d never changed. This was who I was, and he would have to deal with it.
“Look … Human…” He shook his head. “I’m not your enemy. I’m not here to fight with you.”
“What do you actually want? And how did you get from that garden into the room so fast?”
His gaze slammed into mine and I choked on my next words. Not only could he move as fast as a superhero, he could also apparently hypnotize me with one look. And don’t even get me started on that voice of his. It was a weapon.
I was seriously at a disadvantage.
Before I hyperventilated, he released me by turning toward the window, resting both hands against the frame as he stared out. His next words had less anger in them, that low drawl wrapping around me: “I’m here because my uncle is an evil bastard. He’s searching for the location of an object here on Earth, and unfortunately, your family is one of the secret keepers who know the location.”
“My mom,” I gasped, my right hand clutching at my throat. “Is that why he took my mom?”
My thoughts were in turmoil, trying to reconcile everything I thought I knew with this new information coming to light. Was this about my father and his involvement in that group?
Footsteps distracted me as Michaels hurried over, his eyes drowsy, his hands shifting through his surfer locks. “Daniel … sorry, man, I must have crashed.”
He noticed me standing there then, his eyes flicking across to the open window.
“She almost escaped, didn’t she?” he said drily.
I crossed my arms. “She’s standing right here, Michaels.”
I got a sheepish look in return. “I was up half the night making sure you didn’t die from your concussion. Which you gave yourself because you never listen to me.”
It was dark outside, but we must be near morning. Which meant I’d been unconscious for hours, damn them.
Dropping my arms, I took a step forward and Michaels had the intelligence to hold his hands up and take a step back. “Whoa, killer, I’ve been on the receiving end of your right hook before. No need for violence.”
Shaking my head at the pure stupidity of this guy, I turned back to the scary one. Daniel, apparently.
“Why did Laous take my mom? What the hell is a secret keeper?”
Daniel wore a look which was part amused, part exasperated. “He took herbecauseyou’re a secret keeper. Which, as the title suggests, is a person who keeps a secret.”
I was going to punch him. Again.
